UVA senior Shane Cohen sprints to the men’s 800 final at the U.S. Olympic Trials

UVA senior Shane Cohen kicked his way into the 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Friday.

Cohen, the 2024 NCAA champ in the 800, ran a personal-best 1:44.92 in his semifinal heat at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

Cohen ran the majority of the race from the back of the pack before surging to the front in the final 100 meters of the race, sprinting from seventh to third place at the finish line.

With the top two from each heat and the next three fastest times advancing to the final, Cohen would have to see if his time held up against the field. He secured the second time qualifying position behind Abraham Alvarado‘s time of 1:44.44 from the second heat.

The men’s 800 final is set to take place on Sunday at 7:51 p.m. ET. Cohen will look to contend for one of the top three positions and punch his ticket to Paris. He will also look to achieve the Olympic standard of 1:44.70.